Smirnoff Loves Hip-Hop

Or at least they love the people that listen to it, and they want to get those fine people to buy their liquor. Smirnoff has recently released a few songs to go along with their 'signature series' vodkas. I don't quite understand the pairings, but the concept is to get young artists and pair them with older artists to get a new perspective on a classic track. Now for most musical genres such actions would be enough to label the participating artists sell outs. For whatever reason, this never has applied as much to hip-hop. If someone cries sell out the inevitable response is stop hating. As Kanye claimed in 'Good Life':

 50 told me go ahead and switch the style up

 And if they hate then let them hate and watch the money pile up

True but seeing Nas up there with a Smirnoff bottle still seems strange. Isn't this the guy that almost named his album after America's most controversial word? Chalk it up to versatility. 

This one is definitely my favorite and a remix of this track is nothing new to Nas. However, despite having already done this track on his album It Was Written, he delivers a new and updated version with a different vibe. In case you were wondering, this song goes well with the Raspberry flavored vodka. 

Nas ft. Marsha Ambrosius- If I Ruled The World '09

This next one has Pacific Division paired with Nice & Smooth. Smirnoff gets a few shout outs which I'm sure makes them happy. Reppin' that Strawberry Smirnoff. So Funky. 

Nice & Smooth & Pac Div- Funky For You '09

They Call This (Hip-Hop)

A few Detroit related tracks have popped up recently. This first one is Classified, along with Royce Da 5'9'' and B.oB. aka Bobby Ray. I've been listening to quite a bit of Royce lately, particularly his great album Death Is Certain, particularly the undeniably smooth 'What I Know' that is a perfect track to bump when driving around Detroit. 

But back to this track. I kind of knew what to expect from a Royce and Classified collaboration, as they have done it before on 'Unexplainable Hunger'. Royce's verse on that song was crazy and everyone fit well I thought. But I wasn't sure how the young B.o.B. would fare as his rap style is much more mellow and different in general. But he fares well and does something that is a little different. I love it when artists step out of their usual thing because if they are talented it generally ends up great. 

Classified ft. Royce Da 5'9'' & B.o.B. - They Call This (Hip-Hop)

Another Detroit heavy track. What always has confused me is the immense love Detroit rappers get overseas. Royce Da 5'9'' is way more respected over in Europe than in America. I've heard some Europeans say he's better than Jay-Z, which shows the love he gets over there. The same goes for Guilty Simpson. They can't get enough of it. When I attended Rock the Bells hip-hop festival in Detroit Guilty Simpson performed early in the day and chastised the crowd for not being 'live enough'. He claimed that people over Europe give him more love. Don't get me wrong I love Guilty Simpson, but Europeans are treating him like David Hasselhof. The man is just not primed for super stardom in my opinion. I don't even mean that to be negative as I think a lot of his skill comes from being a more underground artist. I honestly think Europeans just like the image of Detroit as that grimey and dangerous American city. Just a theory. After all, there are no Europeans visiting Detroit. 

Anyways, true to form this is a track from a German production duo called JR & PH7. I can hear some Detroit influence in the beat along with some DJ Shadow, which is a beautiful mixture. It also features Black Milk which creates a nice Detroit duo. 

JR & PH7 ft. Guilty Simpson & Black Milk- Top Rank

Morning Hip-Hop

Something I often thought about while I would make my early morning treks to campus was always: 'Man, I wish I had a playlist of morning specific hip-hop. I'm not trying to listen to this club banger or this heavy conscious thing, it's too damn early'. 

Generally when people think hip-hop, they don't think mornings, they think nights. However, I recently found a good compilation of morning hip-hop songs that have the bravado and motivation aspects that are essential to the jam that will get you going in the morning. Plus, it has a real nice mix of new and classic tracks. 

My favorite has to be Ice Cube's 'Today Was A Good Day'. It's for those relaxing mornings. If you're looking for more motivation try Outkast's 'Git Up, Git Out' or Jay-Z's 'Early This Morning'. 

Good Morning Mixtape

Cam'ron

Killa is back! Remember Killa Season? I don't want to either. But remember Purple Haze? It's albums like that which have built Cam'ron's cultish fan base. Cam'ron has been missing for a while and apparently he was attending to family matters, but he is back with a couple real strong tracks and his album Crime Pays is set to drop in May. 

Cam'ron - I Hate My Job

Cam'ron- Ohio

Mike Milan

Fresh, new and unsigned Mike Milan hails from Manhattan and you can add him to the cast of up and coming young guys that seem to be jumping out of the wood work lately. I downloaded a few songs by him today and I was feeling them all. Then I got to this song 'Watch Me Live' and found perhaps the first Rodney Stuckey reference in a song which addresses the young Pistons guard uncanny ability to get to the rim. Must have been made a couple months ago when Stuck was tearing the Bulls apart for 40, he's been slumping lately. 

I drive in do mine's the Stuckey way

Like the Pistons I gets 'em

Mike Milan- Watch Me Live

Mike Milan- Neon Lights

Word Play

A nice little track from Wale and Curren$y with 9th Wonder production. A real nice beat on this one as 9th wonder always delivers something nice. A perfect song for that 70 degree rolling that I would have done today if my garage door had not fallen off its hinges. 

I can make the clouds jealous I am that fly

Wale ft. Curren$y - Word Play (prod. by 9th Wonder)

Another little tid bit tonight. B.o.B., who recently changed his name to Bobby Ray apparently, released this little singing track recently. The beat is nice and he actually does well with it. I was surprised. 

Bobby Ray aka B.o.B.- Ghost in the Machine

Nickelus F x Portishead

I've had these songs for a quick second, but haven't been giving them that much play mainly because Portishead is really damn depressing and ominous. It's not that they aren't good songs, you just need to be in that mood to feel it. But, with finals looming here, I have had ample time to give these songs plenty of rotation. At least finals have given me a reason to bust these songs out in full force. 

Nickelus F ft. Portishead- Roads

Nickelus F ft. Portishead- Cowboys

The Sky Might Fall

A couple of weeks ago I posted a video that has Kid Cudi's unreleased track 'Sky May Fall' played over the Transformers 2 trailer. Turns out, it was guerilla marketing and the song is not officially the track for the trailer, however there is discussion that it may become official. 

Regardless, the song is dope. And here is the track in full. It sounds like it needs a little mastering and cleanup, but I was really feeling the clip of the song so I needed a little something to tide me over. 

Kid Cudi- Sky Might Fall

Way Cool

Hip-Hop beats can come from anywhere these days, just ask Charles Hamilton. With songs like 'Window Media Player' that rely only on sounds that your computer may make and a hand clap, he now goes over a beat from a show that many Nickelodeon devotees of the 1990's may remember called 'Clarissa Explains It All'. I don't know where the hell this idea came from, but it works. 

Charles Hamilton- Way Cool

Click Click

Despite E-40 almost having Biggie killed, I can't help but love him. Besides, he handled that business with Biggie properly in the end. Plus 'Tell Me When To Go' is still a beast and really was my introduction to hyphy music and Bay area hip-hop as I was too young for Too Short and his freaky tales when it was first released. 

Lately E-40 has been really branching out and seeming to go all over everything. Here he goes over a very fast and loud MSTRKRFT beat and does well with it, although the emphasis definitely lies with the electronic duo on this track. 

MSTRKRFT ft. E-40- Click Click